After falling in the Division 3 State Baseball Tournament last year in the preliminary round, Ashland knew they were better than that performance and wanted to prove it this spring. Despite playing in Division 3 last year, the Clockers were moved up to Division 2 this spring. Head Coach Matt Messer was looking to his senior captains, Oli Lareau and Chris Bratica, to get the team prepared.

The duo came up together four years ago as freshmen pitching for the Clocker varsity team. According to the Coach, it was very rare for freshmen to pitch on the varsity level, but both athletes did whatever was asked of them and never complained. Lareau is a three-sport athlete (baseball, football and a 100-point scorer in hockey), while Bratica was the TVL's Pitcher of the Year last spring and batted .389 as Ashland's top hitter.

Through the years, Bratica stuck with pitching while Lareau gravitated toward the outfield, where he is better suited.

"Chris is a pitcher through and through and will be taking his talents to UMASS Dartmouth next year. He is also one of our better hitters," Messer said. "Oli, on the other hand, likes to run around in the outfield calling off his left and right fielder to make the play. He loves diving all over the place to make the catch."

Coming into the season as captains, Lareau and Bratica's goal was to get the team back into the playoffs despite the team being moved up from Division 3 to Division 2. Lareau had seen a lot of potential in the incoming team and believed that if they stepped up, Ashland could definitely make the tournament.

"I was looking to help the newcomers improve their play and gain confidence while still having fun," Lareau said. "Early on everyone seemed to click and over the year I've found that this is one of the best teams in terms of chemistry."

Bratica also saw something in this year's squad. The future college pitcher noted that he knew the Clockers could have a very successful season with younger athletes coming in to fill the open vacancies.

"I had faith in the younger guys coming in and knew that they would settle in and get their game flowing," he said. "I had no doubt in them after seeing the way they were playing and adjusting to the varsity level of play."

With the first-year players taking to the game and the returners doing their thing, Ashland was poised for yet another year in which they earned a tournament berth. The Ashland baseball team had made the tournament for the past 14 straight years, and the Clocker captains were primed to make it 15.

In the past, the Clockers usually found themselves opening the season slow and putting themselves in a hole, but this year was different. Ashland opened the season with a big win over Hopkinton, and, according to Lareau, it brought the team closer together and gave them the confidence to compete with the top teams. The Clockers would go 3-1 to begin the season and find themselves finishing 11-9 and earning a spot in the State Tournament with another 37 teams.

"By going 3-1 to open the season, it gave the team the confidence to play well," Bratica said. "We didn't really have a streak but continued to win the weeks throughout the year and put us in a good position playing good baseball."

Individually, the two wanted to be a big part in producing for the team as well as guiding the younger players. Both Bratica and Lareau were named to the TVL All-Star team this year.

As they get ready to take on Mansfield in the State Tournament, both captains are sure this team can put forth a productive run through the tournament.

"I believe that we can beat any team that we get paired up with in the tournament," Bratica said. "I expect that this group can play good baseball and that will bring them confidence for the next year."

Lareau noted that the team has been swinging the bats really well near the end of the season, and if they continue to field well, they should be able to make some noise.

"We have a great 1-2 punch on the mound, and our bullpen has been great," said Lareau. "I really believe that if we get the timely hitting that we've lacked the past few years with the younger kids stepping up, we can go all the way to Polar Park."

In a one-game elimination tournament, anything is possible.